Now, interns can be found in businesses, non-profits, manufacturing plants — wherever people are working.

Interns are on the job to learn and to gain real-world experience. Some are paid. Some get class credit. Most are college students.

And more are likely to be visible soon in Wayne County and the surrounding region.

Earlham College, Indiana University East, Ivy Tech Community College and Purdue University College of Technology at Richmond all are seeking to place more of their students in internship situations.

"This is across higher education right now and it's really a response to post-2008," said Jay Roberts, director of Earlham's Center for Integrated Learning. "These kinds of experiences for students are absolutely invaluable."

"It is a critical element of student success," said Liz Ferris, career and experiential learning coordinator at IU East. "We don't want to just confer a degree. ... We want to provide an experience that will give (students) ... solid, transferable skills for a career or graduate school."

Internships do that by giving students an opportunity to apply classroom information to real-life situations.

Christine Bradway did an internship at IronGate Creative in Hagerstown while studying journalism graphics at Ball State University.

"It helped me a ton," she said. "A lot more than class. You actually got to work with clients on a real project."

Bradway now works full-time at IronGate and has purchased a home in Hagerstown.

"I got to ... experience what it really feels like to be in this position," said Aaron Soots, who works in information technology at Ivy Tech. While a student at Ivy Tech, Soots did an internship at Richmond Community Schools.

That experience led to a part-time job at Centerville-Abington schools before Soots landed his dream job at his alma mater.

"I am thrilled," he said.

But the advantages of internships aren't just for the students. Businesses also can benefit greatly.

Internships can mean greater productivity, reduced recruiting costs, a chance to finish back-burner projects and a fresh perspective on long-term programs, said Janet Boston, executive director of Indiana INTERN.net, a non-profit managed by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Boston was speaking at "Internships — A Two-Way Street," a July event organized by the Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce and Reid Hospital & Health Care Services.

"I think a lot of businesses in the area haven't really considered internships," said Chris Snively, a student services coordinator at Purdue in Richmond. "I think one of our jobs is to try to convince industry that it's a good way to try on hats. ... It's good for both the company and the student."

Employer benefits

Some local employers don't need to be convinced about the value of internships.

Interns "essentially double" the summertime staff at Cope Environmental Center in Centerville, said Mary Jones, program and development coordinator. Jones described how using interns helps keep programs such as Hike Yourself Healthy, now in its ninth year, from becoming stale.

"Because interns bring in a new perspective and new ideas, it keeps it fresh," she said. In addition, because the intern dedicates all of his or her time to the program, " ... they can focus on it and really make it stellar."

Ferris said small businesses and non-profit organizations might benefit most from this aspect of internships.

"I believe it energizes them," she said.

Large organizations can benefit as well. Ferris said she hears human resource managers talk about the cost of recruitment and the hiring process. Although there is no requirement that a company hire an intern after the internship is completed, it often happens.

"I know of four off the top of my head," said Karen Tower, chair of the accounting and business administration department at Ivy Tech.

IronGate co-owner Jeff Huffine said internships give him a good chance to get to know a potential employee. "Then we can make a better assessment." Bradway is the second former intern he has hired to work full-time.

"From an employer's point of view, it's a semester-long interview," said Alyson Harrell, director of innovations at Reid.

The hiring process can be frustrating, especially when a new employee leaves after just a few years on the job.

"Recruiting from within the community, they're more likely to stay," Harrell said.

Community benefits

IU East senior Dan Printz is in the middle of an internship in marketing at Reid. Printz commutes from Arcanum, Ohio.

"Originally, I thought I'd have to move to a larger city (to go into marketing)," he said. "This has made me think that maybe there are some things that locally are available."

"We have to keep that young talent here," Harrell said.

One reason for internships is " ... convincing the students that local industry wants local talent," said Christy Tollett, who works with Snively as a student affairs coordinator at Purdue in Richmond.

"We want to keep our grads local," she said. "We want them to learn here, and we want them to earn here as well."

Internships give employers an opportunity to make " ... a connection with the best and brightest in the area," Snively said.

Interns, for their part, find themselves involved in the community in a new way.

"It's actually made me more aware of everything that goes on," said Kelsi Thompson, a junior at IU East doing an internship at the chamber of commerce.

Earlham seniors Max Ying of Cupertino, Calif., and Henrish Maluleka of Johannesburg, South Africa, said their internship at the Wayne County Foundation this summer has changed their attitude toward living in Richmond.

"I feel like I have a really different perspective," Maluleka said.

Ying laughed. "Before, we didn't even know about the Tin Lizzie. Now we eat there every day."

Thompson agreed. "Just having a degree isn't going to get you everything," she said. "An internship looks so much better."

"As the world becomes increasingly competitive, internships are a way to develop the skills that you need and to provide proof that you have those skills," said Trevor Oakerson, director of marketing and membership at the chamber. Oakerson did three internships while a student at Ball State and was a finalist for Indiana Intern of the Year.

"For me, the benefit ... was with each one, I got a better understanding of what work life is and what I wanted to do," he said.

Many interns talked about the so-called "soft skills" they were developing on the job.

"You have to look nice first of all," Maluleka said. As a computer science student, "that has never been a requirement in my life."

He also learned the value of a proper handshake. "Really small things, but they do matter," he said.

Austin Robinson is a senior at Hanover College from Hagerstown doing an internship with the Wayne County Foundation.

"I've already built a lot of improvement in my skills," he said. He listed such things as telephone etiquette and getting along with others in the office — "essential skills you need whatever you're doing."

"You learn how to be flexible," said Erica Coulter, a Cope summer intern, Centerville High School graduate and junior at IU Bloomington. "You learn how to work under stress."

"It definitely taught me how to take responsibility," said her classmate and colleague, Kaitlyn Blansett.

Many interns have had jobs, but find the internship opens new doors.

IU East graduate Thomisa Tudor had been offered a management position at her restaurant job, but decided to pursue an internship in human resources at Richmond Baking instead.

She said the internship is " ... a perfect opportunity, especially for ... people who don't have opportunities otherwise."

The experience, said Tudor, has jump-started her career. She's moved from being pretty sure of what she wanted to having a clear vision of her future.